Bears carry Baylor name to the NFL

Baseball isn’t the only sport in which Baylor alums are playing at the highest level; four Bears are on active NFL rosters as the 2008 season begins tonight.

Indianapolis deep snapper Justin Snow is the veteran of the group, having been with the Colts since 2000. Tampa Bay kicker Matt Bryant — the Buccaneers’ Man of the Year last season — is next, entering his eighth year in the league. Linebacker Colin Allred (Tennessee Titans) and cornerback C.J. Wilson (Carolina Panthers) are each in their second year in the league.

Two other Bears have spots with NFL teams that aren’t on the active roster. Punter Daniel Sepulveda, one of the league’s best punters last season as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is on the Injured Reserve list and out for the year after tearing his right ACL early in the preseason. San Francisco wide receiver Dominique Ziegler is on the 49ers’ practice squad. Also worth mentioning is that first-year Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland played at Baylor.

All-time, Baylor has had 208 players selected in the NFL draft, ranking 6th among Big 12 schools. DraftHistory.com offers this list of all the Bears ever picked in the NFL draft, while Pro-Football-Reference.com compiled this list of former Baylor players with NFL experience.

Sic ’em, Bears in the NFL!